Golf is a game in which obtaining exercise is one of many goals, but in which its practitioners generally like to avoid discomfort. As golf can be practiced by people of many ages and physical conditions, it is important that carrying the golf clubs around the course not be perceived as burdensome. In an effort to make carrying the bag of golf clubs as easy as possible, many types of straps have been produced to improve the comfort of the user. The first types of straps used were generally single straps that extended from the bottom or foot of the golf bag to somewhere around the top of the bag. This was of course an improvement over carrying the bag by hand, and left the user's hands free.
The dual or double strap system has several advantages over the single strap because the weight is divided between the two straps, thus causing less stress on each of the shoulders. Several US patents have been involved with this dual strap concept. Among them are U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,038,984, 5,042,703 and 5,042,704 to Izzo, U.S. Pat. No. 5,348,205 to Steurer and U.S. Pat. No. 5,636,778 to Jones. Each of these makes an attempt to improve the balance and/or weight distribution of the golf bag to improve the user of the user who is carrying the bag. Crucial considerations in the balance of the bag are the placement of the strap mounting points.
The stability of the bag as the user walks about is also of concern. A bag that bounces or swings excessively is undesirable, as this type of motion can be very tiring, as well as possibly annoying. Users of prior golf bags often are seen holding the ends of the bag to minimize motion. This of course defeats the purpose of providing the user with a “hands free” implementation.
Thus there is a need for a golf bag which is more stable, involving very little swing or bounce, which distributes the weight of the bag on the shoulders well and has improved balance.